Love and Loneliness
by vinal1
Summary: Sumbate Kimi, possessor of the 18-tailed demon, just received the news of her best friend's death. Will she fall into darkness, avenging her friend's death? Or will she be able to accept other people into her life? OCxGaara, OCxSasuke Love triangle
1. Introduction

**Introduction**

Name: Sumbate Kimi  
Age: 16  
Hair color: brunette/brown  
Eyes: Blue  
Favorite Color: Dark blue and black  
Village Origin: Unknown  
Special trait: possess the 18-tailed demon and the sharingan  
Goal: To avenge her best friend's death

"My name is Sumbate Kimi. I have brown hair and blue eyes. My favorite colors are dark blue and black. I am currently 16 years old and possess the 18-tailed demon. I also have the sharingan although I am unsure if I am from the Uchiha clan. I am a leaf ninja even though I am not from the Land of Fire. My goal: to take the life of the man who murdered my one and only friend."

_

* * *

Author's note: **(MUST READ BEFORE CONTINUING)** The idea of this story is not mine. It is originally thought up by a friend of mine, who gave me permission to upload it. This story is still in infancy and based on just this background information, I would love to hear your (the readers') comments. Whether or not this story will be continued is not sure._

_Update: I am aware that some of you (readers) may not feel comfortable with this story's content. (Such as how is there another Uchiha?) However, I will not change the content of this story. (I will think more thoroughly in another story so your comments are really helping me.) If by any chance you REALLY don't feel comfortable reading this, by all means, feel free to not read it at all. I originally planned to post this story up for only my friends to read. Also if you have suggestions, I will consider them with my friend._

_Also all Naruto characters and background stories belong to Masashi Kishimoto. (but you already know that :P)_


	2. Chapter 1: Entering Konoha

**Chapter 1: Entering Konoha**

"NOO!"  
Kimi screamed after she heard of her best friend's death. _Out of everyone, why Luna? Why?_ She was only six years old when she heard this news. The ninja who brought the news quietly close the door and left Kimi as she collapsed to the ground and cried, reminiscing the good times with her best friend. Her best friend Luna was the only friend Kimi has ever had. Now that she's gone, Kimi is all alone again. _I swear I will find whoever did this to you and make him pay. _Sumbate Kimi did not have a warm childhood like many other children. Her parents abandoned her at a very young age because she is a jinchuriki, the possessor of the 18-tailed demon. Because of this demon, she is often very lonely. No other children will come close to her for they are scared of what she might do to them. This led to Kimi's being quiet and conservative. Her only companion was her best friend Luna, who happened to notice Kimi on the side lines. Now that Luna is gone, Kimi works very hard in everything she does, hoping one day she will take the life of the murderer that took Luna's.

* * *

7 years has passed since Luna's death and Kimi is currently 13 years old. She is traveling along a route in the Land of Fire, when suddenly a kunai pierces through her right arm from behind. The sudden pain runs through her entire right arm as she cries out in agony. _Agh! What just? _ She did not know where the kunai came from nor does cares either. Her attention is entirely focused on her bleeding wound. She runs as fast as she could to the closest village she could find, holding on to her wound to slow the blood flow. As she runs, she feels the slowly pain running up her arm. _Crap! That kunai was poisoned! I have to find a place to rest!_ She passes through the enormous doors and into the village. There are people walking everywhere, busy with their own business. She randomly chooses a path and runs, hoping it lead to a small resting place. An old man in a white and red robe crosses Kimi's path. Kimi bumps into him and collapses into the old man's arms.

"Ah! Excuse me," whisperes Kimi, as she quickly moves aside and continue her path. The old man quickly grasps Kimi and move in front of his view.

"Young girl, you're injured! Quickly, I'll take you to the hospital!" the old man cries out.

"No! I'm really fine! Really!" Kimi insists.

"A young girl like you should not be wondering with such a wound! I'm taking you to the hospital!" After saying that, the old man lifts Kimi's injured up and leads her to a nearby hospital. _Old man, I am fine! Then again, at least he's taking me to some place I can rest for a while. _He places Kimi onto a hospital bed and calls for a medic.

"That won't be necessary!" Kimi quickly cries out. She forces chakra into her left hand which is later surrounded by a blue aura. She places her left hand over her wound and slowly draws the poison out. _Ack…slowly…_ The poison slowly pours out of the wound and attracts to the blue aura, as Kimi drags it to a nearby waste basket.

"See. I'm all right. I can heal myself," Kimi speaks proudly.

"Well… Then I'm glad you can take care of yourself," the old man smiles. "What is a young girl like you wondering around the village with such an injury? Where are your parents?"

"I have no parents. I'm an orphan and can I leave now?"

"Well, you are currently in very good condition. I guess it is okay for you to leave now. But where did you come from? What is your name? I don't really see you around here."  
Kimi goes silent. She doesn't usually speak of her own history mostly because she's afraid that the other person will change his opinion and shun her.

"My name is Hiruzen Sarutobi. I am the hokage of this village. Don't worry. I won't judge, I promise," Sarutobi gives a promising smile. Hearing this, Kimi lets out a sigh.

"My name is Sumbate Kimi. I am an orphan with no guardian so I don't have a home. I just travel around from place to place. I happened to traveled nearby when a poisoned kunai struck me from behind. I don't know where it came from or who had done it so I just ran to the nearest town which happens to be here."

"I see. In that case, you are welcome to stay in Konoha. However, you will have to find a place to stay by yourself. For now, you can rest in this hospital but you will have to leave here soon." Sarutobi gets up and walks towards the front door. At the last minute, he turns around and says "By the way, don't worry about the payment for the hospital. I'll cover it this time."Kimi thanked Sarutobi before he leaves the room. She takes a deep breath and let out a big sigh once more. _What a nice old man. _As she stares out the window, she sees the birds flying by and several people jumping on roofs. _Those are ninjas! I wish I can be one of them so I can find the man that murdered my Luna. But for now that will have to wait._ After a minute of rest, Kimi gets up and opens the window. She climbs out and jumps to the ground. _Now I have to find another place._ The bright sunlight bursts into her eyes. Kimi squints her eyes until they adjusted to the sunlight. Then she starts off on her way. As she walks along her path around Konoha, she wonders where she can stay. _I can't stay in a hotel. It's too pricey. Maybe an inn is better but I still don't have that much money. What to do? _The confusion and frustration cause Kimi to have a headache. She doesn't want to think anymore. She speeds up her walking until she sees a lake nearby. Seeing how the lake is so peaceful with its deep blue color being Kimi's favorite, she decides to sit beside to the lake to calm down. Kimi trots down to the lakeside and sit with the sun behind her. The breeze blows through her hair and the birds whistle into her ears. All trouble seems to stop and settle. _This is more like it._

With all the peacefulness and no one around, Kimi decides to practice on her secret ability, the sharingan. Kimi doesn't know how she got it or when she ever was able to use it. She is not sure if her parents had it, seeing that they abandoned her in the first place. All she knows is that she is able to use it since ever! Kimi activates her sharingan and looks into her own reflection on the lake. The irises of her eyes are now bloodshot red with a black ring in the middle and three dots trailing the ring. She looks up and glances at her surroundings. Every single detail is very clear to her. She can see the moss on the rocks near the lakeside, the flies in the air, and even the pollen in the flowers nearby. She can see and admire every beauty of nature.  
Suddenly a voice screamed from behind the trees.

"You're an Uchiha?"


	3. Chapter 2: Future Apartment Mates

**Chapter 2: Future Apartment Mates & Career Path**

Kimi turns around and sees a young boy with sharp black hair, blue shirt, and white shorts. He has a headband with swirl symbol around his forehead. His face is full of shock. There is a moment of silence as both stare at each other's eyes.

"No…" Kimi replies, breaking the silence. The young boy shakes his head as though he was awakened from a trance.

"Then why do you have the sharingan?" he asks immediately. The serious tone in his voice shakes up Kimi's backbone as she tries to make an answer.

"Well…may be one of my parents is an Uchiha," Kimi immediately replies.

"May be? How can you be unsure about your own parents?" His questions are coming out more sudden and rapid.

"Well I was abandoned at a very young age!" Kimi starts screaming. _What does this guy wants? He already knows one of my secret skills! Now he wants to know about my past life? Mind your own business, will you! _After her reply, the young boy's expression relaxes. He slowly walks to Kimi's side and sits down.

"Heh, I see. You're just like Naruto," smirks the young boy, as he stares towards the opposite side of the lake. "I possess the sharingan too. That's why I thought you were an Uchiha."  
_Naruto? Is it even possible for someone to be like me? _Kimi stares at the boy as he stares across the lake.

"Wait! I heard that the Uchiha clan was wiped out and there were only two survivors. If you possess the sharingan, then you are one of the two surviving Uchihas... You are Uchiha Sasuke!" exclaims Kimi.

"You finally figured it out?" says Sasuke as he slowly faces Kimi.

"Uhh…" Kimi has no clue how to respond to that. "My name is Sumbate Kimi by the way." Kimi holds out her hand and looks at Sasuke. Sasuke finally gives a small grin, shakes her hand, and says, "Don't worry about it." Kimi smiles gently. However, that smile did not last long once the thought of a home returns. _Right…I forgot I need a place to stay. Well, Sasuke is an orphan too…sort of. He must be staying somewhere. And with his clan gone, his home should have plenty of room. Maybe if I reason with him, he would let me stay with him._

Kimi breaks the silence, "Because I am an orphan, the hokage allowed me to stay in Konoha. However, I don't have a place to stay so I wish to ask…"

"You can stay at my place," Sasuke interrupts.

"Thank you!" Kimi answers with a big smile. "I promise I will keep it in good shape." Sasuke hands Kimi a piece of paper with his apartment address. Kimi carefully folds the paper and tucks it in her pocket. _That was easy._

"I'll meet you here in an hour then," Sasuke instructs. Before Kimi could respond, Sasuke vanishes, leaving only a few leaves in where he just stood. Seeing that she had an hour of spare time, Kimi decides to tour around Konoha. Before she knew it, she could hear her stomach growl from hunger. _Grrr... I should find a place to eat. _She goes to the nearest food store that she could find. Pushing the hanging entrance cloths aside, she finds a young blond boy slurping on some ramen very loudly.

Kimi sits on the stool next the blond boy and leans over to say "Excuse me, I'm new here and I'm wondering if I could get some food here."

"OH OK!" the blond boy shouts. _Gyah! _The boy's response surprises Kimi as she almost falls backwards.

"The ramen here are the best! So what's your name? My name is Uzumaki Naruto! It's nice to meet you!"

_Wow, he's a bit hyper. Wait, he's Naruto? How am I like him? _Kimi is still startled by Naruto's answer. She quickly collects herself together and answers, "My name is Sumbate Kimi, and uh… I'm a little short on change, so I was wondering if you could lend me some money. I promise I'll pay back!"

Naruto continues to smile as he replies, "No prob! In fact, it's on me as long as you'll be my buddy, ok?"

"Really?" Kimi is surprised with the offer. "Thank you! I owe you next time." After the two children finish their bowls of ramen, they chat as they walk.

"Hey, if you don't have a place to stay as well, you can join me. I'll make room!" Naruto offers.

"Thanks but I already found a place to stay. I'm staying with someone named Uchiha Sasuke," Kimi replies.

"Uchiha Sasuke?" screams Naruto. "Don't stay at his place! Stay at mine! My place is better than Sasuke's!"

"It's ok. I'm cool with Sasuke," says Kimi. _Do you have something against this guy?_

"Fine… but don't get too close to him. You might get some of arrogance," says Naruto as he closely eyes on Kimi. _Quit staring at me, you creepy weirdo._"Well, see ya later, Kimi!" Kimi waves good-bye as she speed walks to the lake._ Hyper and weird. Sasuke, how do I remind you of this guy? _When Kimi arrives, she can already see Sasuke waiting for her by the lake.

"So, you finally arrived," states Sasuke.

"Sorry I'm a bit late," Kimi apologizes. Sasuke leads Kimi to his apartment. He opens the door and leads Kimi to an unoccupied bedroom.

"You can stay in this room," Sasuke says. Kimi steps into her future bedroom and explores the area.

"I'm getting dinner soon. If you want, I can get you some too," says Sasuke as he walks towards the front door. Kimi quickly turns around.

"Thank you so much for the room. Uh… Since I don't have any money yet, I guess it would be nice if you can get me some. I promise I'll pay back!" Kimi answers quickly. Sasuke nods as he leaves. Half an hour later, Sasuke returns with dinner and sets up the table. As they both eat their dinner, Kimi starts a conversation.

"So, Sasuke. Since you live by yourself, how do you make a living?" Kimi asks.

"I'm a ninja. I work for Konoha. Why?" Sasuke replies.

"I just wanted to find some job options… to pay back what I owe."

"Well, if you want to be a ninja, you'll have to talk to the hokage. You can talk to him tomorrow morning."

"I see…" Kimi goes straight to bed after eating and cleaning the table.

The next morning, Kimi wakes up at 4am. She does some exercises and a few training moves before she meets the hokage. Once the hokage mansion opens, Kimi quickly meets up with Sarutobi to ask about the job as a ninja.

"Hmm… If you are that interested in becoming a ninja, it is possible," Sarutobi replies. "However, you will have to take a few tests before becoming a ninja or you will have to study in the ninja academy with the younger kids."

"Give me the tests!" shouts Kimi.


	4. Chapter 3: Ninja Tests

**Chapter 3: The Ninja Tests**

"Give me the tests!" Kimi screams. _There is no way I'm gonna study with little peep scweeps!_

"Alright. Meet Hatake Kakashi on the training grounds in 15 minutes," says the senior hokage. Kimi nods and heads back towards the apartment to get her gear before going to the training grounds. Once she arrives at the training grounds, there is no one in sight. Kimi looks to her left, then to her right. The area is noiseless. _Am I being punked? No! This is part of the test, right? _Kimi immediately prepare herself for any sneak attacks. _Left? Right? No, front! Back?_

"You must be Sumbate Kimi," says a voice behind Kimi. _BAH! _Kimi hastily turns around. A man with white hair and a facemask stands before her. _Are you trying to give me a heart attack old man? _Kimi slowly examines the man with her eyes. He has his left hand behind him and his right hand holding up what seem to be a Rated-R novel. _Perverted old man?_

Remembering where she is, Kimi answers, "Yeah, that's me. Are you Hatake Kakashi?"

"Yep. That will be me." His facemask folds up a bit, showing that he is grinning. _Well, he doesn't sound old. That's still no excuse to be reading that book. What does he have up his sleeves? _

"And for your test," Kakashi continues, "All you have to do is grab one of these two bells from me…" Before Kakashi even finish, Kimi quickly vanishes and appears again but with one bell in her hand.

"Done," Kimi bluntly states. "Better not take too long next time." She continues to look at Kakashi as he stares back. He clearly shows that he's a bit dumbfounded. However, his eyes remain calm.

"Right… next test is a timed test. I will attack you and you must try to evade all my attacks and remain untouched. Any questions?" Kakashi returns to his usual pose as he places his novel into his back pocket.

"Do I get to attack you?" Kimi asks.

"If you can," Kakashi smirks. As soon as he finishes his answer, he quickly jumps back and throws a kunai at her. Kimi dodges it with ease while throwing her kunai back at Kakashi. Kakashi dodges hers with ease as well. Kimi quickly activates her sharingan.

"The sharingan?" Kakashi whispers surprisely.

"Too slow!" Kimi shouts. "Water-style! Water Prison Jutsu!" Instantly Kakashi is trapped inside a bubble filled with water. Kimi immediately prepares for her next attack.

"Fire-style! Fireball Jutsu!" Kimi attacks the floor in front of the water bubble, knowing that fire would not work on water. The fireball explodes in front of the bubble, and Kakashi flies back a few feet. Although the fire didn't harm him due to the water bubble, the explosion's force cause a bit of damage during his fall. Kakashi flips backwards onto his two feet and looks up. Kimi is already flying at him with lightning force in one hand. Kakashi swiftly does a replacement jutsu right before Kimi misses and blows up the ground where he used to be standing. He appears again behind Kimi.

"Ok. I give up," Kakashi smiles with both his hands up showing surrender.

"Good," Kimi smiles also. "I have plenty more where that came from."

"So you have the sharingan. Which means you are an Uchiha, am I correct?"

"I really don't know. My parents abandoned me at a very young age."

"Water Prison…Fireball… even lightning. I see you can control three elements. And hearing that you have more, I assume you can control the other two elements as well. Controlling the five elements… having the sharingan. You are one skillful little girl. So have you mastered the sharingan?"

"Yes, I already obtain the mangekyo as well," Kimi smiles. _Dare you to call me little now, why don't ya?_

"Wow. If that is the case, we can skip the third exam. You pass," Kakashi replies with a calm tone.

"Uhh… thanks," says Kimi, although she was a bit disappointed by Kakashi's calm reaction.

"There's a mission tomorrow that requires ten genins. You, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura will be among the ten. I'll be counting on you to choose the other six," Kakashi explains. "I won't be going so remember to choose strong genins."

"Uh…ok," Kimi replies without second thoughts. Before Kakashi disappears, he smiles and says, "Think of it as a bonding experience with the other genins. Have a good time. I'm going to report to the hokage about your progress." Then Kakashi disappears, leaving nothing behind except dust.

With no idea on how to find the other genins, she starts walking back towards Sasuke's apartment instead. Along the way to the apartment, Kimi bumps into a young stranger.

"Ah! Sorry," the stranger apologizes. He looks up and into Kimi's face. "You're that new ninja I heard of. I heard you are strong."

"Wow, news fly fast in this village," Kimi responds.

"I'm Shikamaru, by the way. And yah, that's Konoha for ya." Shikamaru's reply has a hazy tone to it, as though he just got up from a nap. _Woah… he's the opposite of Naruto. Naruto is hyper. This guy…he's like a drag. _"Oh right. It's a bit late to say this but welcome to Konoha. I hope you are comfortable. Also I'm a genin too. So we might see each other often."

"You're a ninja? That's awesome. There's a mission tomorrow that needs ten genins. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and I are going. We need six more. I heard it's a hard mission so will you be able to help?"

"Sounds like a drag… but I guess I could help."

"Well I'm looking for more genins. So I'll see you tomorrow then." _If it was this easy to find a genin, I should have to run everywhere instead._ Kimi moves aside and runs pass Shikarmaru. After running a certain distance, Kimi hears a voice behind her.

"Hey! What is your name again?" Shikamaru shouts.

"It's Sumbate Kimi!" Kimi loudly replies.

"Right…" Kimi hears from a distance.


	5. Chapter 4: Start of the First Mission

**Chapter 4: Start of the First Mission**

Kimi decides to rest for the night and continue her search for more genin the next morning. Next morning, Kimi wanders out of the village for a stroll. She already told Sasuke to help her with gathering more genins for the mission. Because Sasuke knew many of the other genins already, Kimi feels less stress in her search. She strolls into the forest where she can be closer to nature. Upon strolling into the forest, Kimi comes across two figures. She quickly hides behind a tree and observes them. _Black cloaks…white-outlined red clouds…shit! They're from the Akatsuki! _Kimi knew the Akatsuki well enough. They have been after Kimi ever since she was six years old. However, they never knew she is a jinchuriki. They only knew she is very strong. Kimi quickly glances once more at the two figures. _Red scythe… black creepy mask… Hidan and Kakazu. Them again? Of all times, why now? _Hidan and Kakazu walk closer to Kimi's hiding spot. _Ah…Shit… they're coming closer. I need to leave quickly. Sasuke is probably waiting for me by now. I'll just knock them out. Fast and simple… then run back. Yeh… that should be easy._ Kimi takes in one more breath before jumping out.

"Hey! Knuckleheads! Looking for me?" Kimi shouts.

"Hey! It's that brat we've been after for six FUCKIN' years!" Hidan screams at the top of his lungs. Before either of them could react, Kimi quickly knocks both of them out. After being chased by the Akatsuki for six years, Kimi has a rough knowledge of each member's weakness. She hastily moves their bodies to a certain distance from Konoha, hoping they will not bother the village or run into the group during the mission. _Bunch of assholes… _Kimi dashes as fast as she can back to Konoha. Once she arrives at the entrance, she can see Sasuke with a bunch of other genins. She catches up to them.

"Kimi, we're all ready." Sasuke says. "These are the genins we'll be working with." Each genin introduces him or herself to Kimi.

"Hi, I'm Yamanaka Ino," says the blond girl.

"And I'm Akimichi Choji," says the chubby guy.

"Well… you know me, Nara Shikamaru," says Shikamaru.

"Aburame Shino," says the guy with sunglasses.

"The name is Inuzuka Kiba, and this is Akamaru," says the guy with the puppy. "And this is Hyuga Hinata."

"Hi…" whispers the girl with a furry coat.

"And I'm Haruno Sakura," says the girl with pink hair. She holds her hand out and shakes Kimi's hand. "I heard you are staying at Sasuke's. Is it true?" Kimi could feel the hand grip tighten after her question.

"Yeh, I'm staying at his place," Kimi replies with a grin. "What about it?"

"Nothing. Just curious." Both girls stare at each other for moment before letting go each other's hand.

"So, who is team captian?" Kimi finally asks.

"Well, we're thinking maybe you can be team captian," Sakura answers.

"What? Why me?"

"Technically, you are stronger than most of us," Shikamaru explains. "Plus none of us really want the job… well, atleast I don't."

"I don't even know what our mission is."

"Hey! Don't worry!" Naruto laughs. "We're just guarding this old geezer back to Amegakure. It'll be a sinch!"

"Who are you calling an old geezer?" cries out the old man from the back. Everybody slowly walks out the entrance and starts walking towards the rain village, surrounding the old client. _We need ten strong genins to guard one stupid old man? You've got to be kidding! This old man better have a good reason to be guarded. _After traveling halfway, a gang of ninjas surrounds the group. Kimi tries to fend off as many of them as possible but their numbers were too great. She turns around to look for her teammates.

"Naruto, where are you?" she screams.

"He's knocked out!" Sakura shouts as she carries Naruto with his arm over her neck. "We need to re-" Before Sakura could finish what she's saying, a ninja knocks her out. Kimi tries to rush by her side. As she dashes, she sees her other teammates fighting and losing. Once she arrives to Sakura and Naruto's spot, she tries to carry them both upon her shoulders.

"Kimi! Behind you!" Sasuke screams but it is too late. A ninja knocks both Sasuke and Kimi out cold. Everything is dark.

When Kimi wakes up, she could not see anything. Everything is dark. She tries moving but couldn't. She tries calling out to her teammates. She can't. Her limbs are tied up and her mouth is covered. She has no clue where everyone is or where she is herself. In the middle of the dark silence, she hears a faint voice.

"Leaf ninja… she will be an excellent addition…"


	6. Chapter 5:Break Out and the Chuunin Exam

**Chapter 5: Breakout & the Chuunin Exam**

Everything is pitch black. Kimi could barely see her surroundings. For safety, she decides to wait until the mysterious voices leaves. Once she no longer is able to hear their footsteps, Kimi thrusts chakra into her arms. Both her wrists glow bright red as she burns through the manacles, freeing them. She thrusts more chakra into hands as she pulls apart the manacles around her feet. As she stands up, she activates her sharingan, hoping it would improve her vision. _Where's the door… _Her vision improved greatly, but not enough to for her see clearly. For precautions, Kimi runs her hand along the stone walls, away from the middle of her cell. She eventually feels a wooden door and quickly finds the door handle. She twists the handle and the door opens to a low lit hallway. _What kind of villain won't make sure his captives are locked up properly? _Feeling glad her capturers are pretty forgetful, Kimi quietly dashes through the hallway looking for her teammates. _Damn! It's my first time being team captain, and I'm already failing…some mission this turned out to be. I can't have a bad reputation now. I got to find them and restore my image! _Kimi stops looks behind her. No one is following her. She quietly creeps around the next corner. BAM! She bumps into someone. Kimi looks up to see who she bumped into. Fortunately it was Sasuke!

"Sasuke! You're okay!" Kimi cries.

"Shhh…" Sasuke quickly quiets her.

"Sorry," Kimi apologizes out of happiness.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Where are the others?" Sasuke whispers.

"I was about to ask you the same question."

"Well, I ran by a hallway with several more cells. I didn't bother checking but maybe they're in there." Kimi nods as Sasuke begins to lead her back to the hallway. Pretty soon the hallway splits into two directions. Both of them glance from left to right.

"Okay, you take the right. I'll take the left. We'll meet back here," Sasuke instructs Kimi. Kimi nods again, and dashes towards her direction. _Wait, whose team captain again? _As Kimi opens each cell, she begins thinking over the mission. _Oh my goodness! None of these cells are locked! Who owns this place? Shit! What happened to the old man we're suppose to guard? I hope he's fine or I won't get paid! _Almost every cell is empty. Kimi is already on the second to the last cell. Once she opens the door, she sees Naruto struggling to get break free. He tries to break his manacles by banging it on the ground and pulling his arms sideways. He looks up once he notices the light.

"Kimi! You're okay!" Naruto screams.

"Shhh…" Kimi quiets Naruto. "I'm doing fine so far. Let me help you with those." Kimi breaks off Naruto's manacles the same way she did with hers.

"Thanks. Where are the others?" asks Naruto, as he slowly stands up.

"I don't know. I met up with Sasuke so he's searching another direction."

"Well, let's keep searching."

Kimi and Naruto peak out of the cell. Then they slowly dash to the last cell door and open it. Sure enough, lying on the ground is Sakura. She is also struggling to free herself, except she was trying to pick the lock instead of using brutal force like Naruto did. She quickly takes notice of their presence once she sees the light from the hallway.

"Bring it here! I'll quickly free you," Kimi whispers. She is already losing her patience. The manacles burn off Sakura's wrists and legs and Sakura is on her feet in a few seconds.

"Where's Sasuke-kun and the others?" asks Sakura.

"Sasuke is searching for the others in another direction. He probably found them too seeing how this is the last cell and I only found you two."

The three ninjas dash back to the meeting spot. Once they arrive, Kimi sees Sasuke dashing towards them, followed by Kiba and a few other genins.

"Shikamaru is missing," says Sasuke, as he catches his breath. "Have you found him?"

Kimi shakes her head. After catching his breath, Sasuke looks up and analyzes his side of the hallway. He walks to the first cell door and says, "Haven't checked this one yet."

Sure enough, there lays Shikamaru on the floor with both his arms and legs already freed and his eyes closed. _No way! Is he sleeping? How can he sleep at a time like this? _Ino walks pass Kimi towards Shikamaru. She picks him up by the shoulders and starts shaking him.

"Wake up you sleepy head! Now it's not the time to sleep!" she screams. Shikamaru opens one eye and looks at Ino.

"Yeesh… Woman. Don't have to yell. I wasn't sleeping that deeply," he moans as he continues to stare at her. He turns and glances at the others. After sighing once more, Shikamaru finally stands up and places his hands in his pockets.

"So where's the old man?" he asks.

"Actually we don't know," Naruto replies. "Kiba, can't you sniff him out or something?"

"If I could, I would have done that already but this place reeks! I can barely distinguish any of the scent I'm getting," Kiba replies along with Akamaru's puppy bark. Naruto stares at his feet as he thinks. Kimi glances back from Naruto to Kiba to Naruto again.

"Well, we already searched the two hallways. That only leaves us with one direction to search. So search that way?" Kimi suggests sarcastically. Everyone looks at Kimi and remains silent. After a moment, Naruto smiles.

"Yeh! That makes sense! Let's go search," he says. Everyone just follows Naruto as he runs down the hall. Only Sasuke and Kimi stays behind. Sasuke glances over at Kimi, and quickly follows Naruto as well. Kimi watches Sasuke as he runs first. _He notices my sarcasm. Did he. _Kimi dashes forward as well, following him. Pretty soon, Naruto arrives to another cell door. It was the only cell any of them passed since the beginning of the hallway. Naruto looks up at the door as he slowly reaches for the handle. Suddenly Sasuke grabs his wrist.

"Better if I check and you stay on guard in case anything happens," he instructs him. Naruto stares at Sasuke seriously then let's go.

"Yeh. Sure." Naruto replies. He grabs his kunai out while everyone also prepares themselves. Sasuke swings open the cell door and looks him. To their luck, they find the old man looking up at them surprised with his limbs locked up and his mouth covered with a cloth. Everyone runs in and helps him free.

"You don't know how happy I am to see you guys," the old man exclaims. "But I wouldn't say this was exactly a successful mission of guarding me."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Sakura explains. "All that matters right now is getting all of us out of here."

"And how are you kids plan on doing that?"

Kimi's eyes brightens up, once she catches an idea. She runs up to the opposite side of the cell and presses her ear against the wall. She knocks on it several times. After a second, she glances back, specifically at Sasuke.

"Can you tell how thick this wall is?" she quickly asks. Sasuke walks up next to her and knocks on the stone wall.

"Not that thick," he replies.

"Awesome." Kimi does several hand signs. "Fireball jutsu!" Kimi blows up the wall in front of them. The bright sunlight gushes into the cell, lighting up every corner of darkness.

"Quickly! Let's get out of here!" Kimi screams. Everyone dashes towards the direction of Amegakure. From far away, Kimi could hear men screaming.

"Hey! The prisoners are escaping!"

After a few more seconds, Kimi can only hear the wind rushing towards her face as she runs along her teammates. They all arrive to Amegakure with the old man on time. Before they leave, they all apologize to the old man for the inconvenience. Fortunately, the old man was kind enough to let them go and promises to give a good report on them. The genins all feel relief as they set off for their return trip. As they travel, the dark night falls. Everyone sets up camp and gets ready for bed. Sasuke walks up to Kimi as she sets up her sleeping bag.

"Hey, mind if I speak with you privately?" he whispers. Kimi nods and follows him to the edge of where the campfire lights hit. _I hope he's not going to criticize my leader skills. I mean true, I messed up this time. But it's only one time. Sasuke isn't that mean right? _Sasuke turns around and looks directly at Kimi's eyes.

"Kimi," Sasuke starts. "I know I haven't known you for very long. To be honest, I only know you for several days…but I realize that I have come to like you very much. Will you be my girlfriend?" Kimi stares back at Sasuke, speechless. Her face shows no emotions but her eyes were in shocked.

"Why me out of all the other girls? What makes me different from them?" she hesitantly asks.

"You're not like the other girls I have known. You don't squeal or scream when I enter a room. You don't always boast about how I'm better than everybody just because I am cool, as they say. In other words, you don't try to impress me. You just act yourself, natural. I like it," Sasuke explains.

"I guess," Kimi smiles gently, for once. She blushes as she stares at her feet. _I can't believe it. He actually likes me. _Soon Sasuke's hand tilts Kimi's head back up so her eyes look towards his eyes again.

"You haven't answered my question yet?" Sasuke grins.

"Yes. I guess," Kimi replies softly. Her face glows pink even further as she continues to look at his eyes.

"Great, we'll talk about this more once we get back to Konoha…" Sasuke moves his mouth close to Kimi's ears. "…girlfriend." After his last words, he leaves Kimi and joins everyone else by the campfire.

"Hey Kimi!" Naruto screams. "What's the hold up? You better come get some food while there are still some! It tastes great! Hehe!" His scream breaks Kimi from her trance as she looks up at Naruto.

"Hey! Save me some!" Kimi yells back angrily. She joins back the other genins around the campfire. As everyone chats, Kimi glances at Sasuke. He looks back and grins. He then returns his gaze back at the others. Kimi remains looking at him. She then smiles too and return her gaze back at the others too.

The next day, the team arrives at Konoha by noon and they all realize that the chuunin started 5 minutes ago. _SHIT!_

"Crap! We're late! We didn't even get to train or study! Maybe that's why those ninjas ambushed us." Kimi cries. She is so full of rage, she's grinding her teeth.

"Calm down, Kimi. I believe the proctors will understand. It is the hokage who sent us on this mission," Sasuke explains.

"Yeh I guess so," Kimi sighs as she follows everyone to the testing building. _Atleast we trained…sort of…_Kimi and the others enter the testing room. All is silent. Every individual is focused on their exam paper. _Written test? I thought there will be more action! _The proctor looks up at the genins that just arrived. Kimi starts to explain but the proctor holds his hand up, stopping her.

"I know who you are. Don't worry. Just take an empty seat and quietly start on your test," he instructs the genins. "Reminder: If even one team member fails, the whole team will fail the exam." _Wait… so does that mean I'm on Sasuke's team? _The group splits up and each individual finds his or her own seat. From a distance, Kimi can see Sasuke and Sakura eyeing Naruto. Naruto had a worried face. Ignoring that, Kimi sits near a boy with a tattoo on his forehead. She stares for a second, then glances on her paper. _This should be a sinch!...just a few physics problem and a few government problems. _Kimi quickly finishes her test. She looks around secretly then slips her test under her shirt. The silence breaks immediately when the sound of pencil writing comes from the side proctors. _I wonder what they are marking… Well, I'm not called out, so I should be okay. Plus I didn't cheat! _Soon the clock ticks the end of the session and the main proctor stands up.

"Now I will present the tenth question. But there are rules. Rule one: You must decide whether or not to take the tenth question," the proctor explains. Murmurs and gasps fill up the room. A blond lady yells out, "what happens if we choose not to?"

"If you choose not to…" the proctor continues. "…you fail! Along with your two teammates!" After this, the room fills with yells of other genins.

"The second rule: if you choose to take it and answered incorrectly, that person loses the right to take the chuunin exam again."

"What kind of rule is that?" cries Kiba.

"You guys were unlucky. This year, it's my rules," the proctor grins. "However, if you choose not to take it, you can try again next year." Kimi looks up at the proctor in shock. _I'm confident enough to take this question…but if I assume I'm in Sasuke's team, then Naruto… Naruto, please tell me you will take it and don't fail. _Kimi stares at Naruto from a far. She also looks at Sasuke and Sakura who are also filled with worries. Later, one by one, a genin raises his hand and refuse to take the question. This gives more pressure on the three ninjas as they stare at Naruto to see his reaction.

Suddenly Naruto stands up with a smile on his face. He faces the proctor eye to eye.

"I'll take it! Even if I am a genin forever! I'm not afraid!" Naruto screams. Kimi looks up at Naruto and smiles. Sasuke and Sakura smile too from the back. The proctor looks back at him.

"Is that your final decision?" he asks.

"I never go back on my words. That's my ninja way," Naruto replies with no fear. The proctor looks around the room.

"Very well. For everyone still remaining…" he continues. "I congratulate you on passing the first test!" The proctor continues explaining the meaning behind the written test. Soon everyone in the room understood the risks of being a chuunin. _This is nothing … compare to what I have to go through._ All of a sudden, the windows crash. Two kunai hit opposite sides of the ceiling, holding up a black cloth with words on it. A lady stands in front of it and yells,

"I am the examiner for the second test! Mitarashi Anko! Let's go!"

Everyone stares at her in silence.

"Follow me!" she yells out again. This time everyone slowly follows her out the room. All the genin arrives to a wilderness surrounded by a fence. Kimi stares at the forests with awe. _That's a thick forest…_

"Welcome to the stage for the second test, Practice Area 44…" Anko yells again. "Also known as… "The Forest of Death!""


End file.
